The Philippine Online Chronicles

Year in and year out, Philippine politics leaves a mark on calendars and the consciousness. At the end of 2008, the Philippine Online Chronicles presents the top five issues it covered in its Politi-ko channel. From disasters in the political arena to real-life disasters in the country, these topics and events might leave more of a nasty stain than a good impression. But none can say they didn't catch the public eye and stay in its glare for good reason.

Mindanao peace process crumbles just before breakthrough

The decades-long struggle between the Philippine government and Bangsamoro separatist leader Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) seemed to reach a turning point mid-year, as the parties drafted a Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) to resolve the territorial dispute that has long marked the history of Mindanao. The landmark deal, which featured a key provision granting around 700 villages across North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga and Palawan to an expanded Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), was supposed to have been finalized on August 5. 

However, negotiations fell apart when the Supreme Court acted on a petition by parties affected by the expansion and issued a temporary restraining order against its signing. The MILF retaliated with violence; government troops opened fire; battles broke out again in North Cotabato. Days later, the government backed out altogether from signing the MOA-AD.

As the sparring continued in Mindanao and the military hunted down renegade MILF commanders, constitutionality issues hounded the MOA-AD. Camps protested the lack of transparency in its drafting and pointed out that its signing would have eventually led to the dismemberment of the state. Rebuking the government on these points, the SC declared the MOA-AD to be unconstitutional by an 8-7 vote on October 14. It later put to rest all motions to have it declared otherwise.

As another year draws to a close, the issue still remains unresolved. Peace talks are said to be on the way towards resumption, with Malacañang eyeing December 22 as the date on which they could start again. Even this, however, is disputed; the MILF junked the government claim as “empty talk” meant “to give false hope to the people.”

Cha-cha-cha!

The 1987 Constitution was a byword splashed all over national headlines in 2008 for a reason that shouldn't be unfamiliar to most Filipinos: the push for charter change (cha-cha). Such a massive move to amend the constitution had not been made since 2006, and critics again questioned if the latest motion was rooted more in officials' desire to extend the length of their terms than a desire to effect overall reforms.

Lawmakers themselves were torn on whether charter change would be best done by a constituent assembly or a constitutional convention. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who openly planned charter change in her state of the nation address and drew most of the flak about wanting to stay in power beyond the 2010 elections, left the decision of choosing the mode to Congress. House debates have been set aside until January.

House Speaker Prospero Nograles, in turn, also filed a resolution seeking to amend two economic provisions in the charter via legislation. As Congress went on recess for the remainder of the year, the committee on constitutional amendments deferred deliberations on his proposition until January 27, 2009.

A money mess in Moscow: The Euro Generals controversy

How much money should policemen have in their pockets when traveling to functions overseas? How much do they actually carry?

These were the questions at the forefront of the controversy that erupted when retired Philippine National Police (PNP) comptroller Eliseo dela Paz was arrested at the Moscow international airport on October 11 for not declaring the amount of cash on his person. Dela Paz turned out to be carrying 105,000 euros, equivalent to P6.9 million. The amount not only went beyond Russia's outbound cash limit; it also grossly exceeded the P272,070 budget allocated for each member of the Philippines' 12-person Moscow delegation to an Interpol conference in St. Petersburg.

How did the retired officer come into possession of so much money? Dela Paz explained that it was part of a contingency fund, while PNP chief Jesus Versoza said the cash was for the possible purchase of intelligence equipment. But the total sum turned out to be unauthorized, as former PNP National Police chief Avelino Razon said that he only alloted P2.3 million for the Interpol contingent's trip.

Through ensuing Senate hearings, committee probes and investigations by the Ombudsman, the taint of the so-called “euro generals” left a stark reminder for policemen passing through airports and the eyes of a public jolted by the still-murky mess from Moscow: come clean.

Princess of the Stars tragedy further mars Sulpicio Lines' record

Such a tragedy had not happened in 20 years. But when another passenger ship went down in Philippine waters in 2008, it had the misfortune of going down in records as one of the worst maritime disasters in the archipelago's history.

The MV Princess of the Stars sank off Sibuyan Island, Romblon on June 21, dragging most of its 725 passengers and 112 crew to their deaths. The 23,000-ton ferry sailed for Cebu City from Manila a day before before Super Typhoon Frank changed course and officials could prevent vessels from setting forth. By the time warnings went out, the Princess of the Stars was already caught too far out to sea in the teeth of a deadly storm. Groping for shelter, it ran aground on a reef and capsized. Only 57 survived.

The Philippines had only seen one more catastrophic ship sinking: 1,565 people—possibly more—died when the MV Doña Paz sank in 1987 after colliding with an oil tanker and catching fire. Like the Princess of the Stars, the Doña Paz was owned by Sulpicio Lines, Inc. The same firm owns the MV Doña Marilyn and MV Princess of the Orient, which figured in two other major maritime disasters in 1988 and 2000. The two ships were also caught at sea during storms, just the like the Princess of the Stars—the fourth in the list of fatal vessels owned by the ill-fated liner.

Go, go-Bama!

The 2008 presidential race did not just concern the United States of America; by and large, it involved the entire world. While Americans debated over the domestic economy, immigration policies, a long-standing racial divide and two wars initiated by outgoing president George W. Bush, the world watched as the old guard contended with the new in the persons of Republican candidate John McCain and the charismatic Democrat Barack Obama.

Filipinos were not excluded from the 47-year-old biracial senator's captive—and expectant—audience. Immigrants, overseas workers and Filipinos at home identified with Obama and, seeing him as a chance for their concerns as people of color to be more sensitively heard, preferred him to become the next US president. When Obama was finally voted into the White House, Filipinos indeed voiced their hopes. They requested the withdrawal of US troops from the Philippines, demanded that the US withdraw support from the Arroyo government, asked compensation for Filipino veterans who fought alongside Americans in World War I and, all in all, awaited a new era of US-Philippine relations.

Photo 1: “proud/pride” by .bullish, taken from Flickr.com. Licensed under Creative Commons license number BY-NC-ND-2.0-DEED.EN.

Photo 2: “A young Moro rebel standing infront of the sign board at MILF out post” by mark navales, taken from Flickr.com. Licensed under Creative Commons license number BY-NC-ND-2.0-DEED.EN.

Photo 3: “Lots of Euro” by andreasmarx, taken from Flickr.com. Licensed under Creative Commons license number BY-NC-ND-2.0-DEED.EN.

Photo 4: “Obama Hope” by smallislander, taken from Flickr.com. Licensed under Creative Commons license number BY-NC-ND-2.0-DEED.EN.